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Tehran Sewage Project Wins Global Award

A major project to develop the Iranian capital's water and wastewater infrastructure was given the top award at the 16th Energy Globe Awards 2015, an energy and environmental conference that ends on Thursday in Tehran.

The annual event is organized by Energy Globe Foundation, a non-profit organization creating a higher level of awareness in sustainable use of energy sources and the environment.

Official members of the foundation include more than 170 countries, IRNA reported.

According to the foundation's website, "Tehran Sewage Project" will become Iran's largest wastewater transmission tunnel with a length of 27 kilometers and the Middle East’s largest wastewater vortex structure with a depth of 37 meters. The project is being carried out by Tehran Water and Wastewater Company.

Guests from 177 countries as well as senior figures and officials, including the head of Iran's Department of Environment, Massoumeh Ebtekar, Iran's Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian and India's Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, are attending the four-day convention.

Acting Energy Minister Sattar Mahmoudi told reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony that the ministry's top priority is to employ state-of-the-art technology to accelerate Iran's development in post-sanctions period, which is in accordance with the country's macro policies.

"Other main priorities of Energy Ministry include investment attraction, reformation of procedures, cutting costs and energy wastage, as well as increasing efficiency," he added.

Referring to the ministry's measures in line with the policies of "Resistance Economy", Mahmoudi said it has been implementing policies such as raising domestic production, decreasing wastage of energy and preparing the grounds for export of equipment and services. Resistance Economy is a set of economic and strategic guidelines introduced by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

"Iran's water and power industries are always in need of more investment, as the country is vast and populated, and also because of issues like facing droughts and maintaining sustainable development," Mahmoudi said.

In Iran's budget bill for 2016-17, Energy Ministry is predicted to be allocated over 720,000 billion rials (around $20 billion), indicating a 1.4% growth compared to the current year's (to end on March 19).

This is while Tehran Water and Wastewater Company's budget will witness a 15% rise, reaching 15,000 billion rials (over $416 million).